1969

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 * 1969-01-00 - OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE, TOMS RIVER, NJ**

No set details known. One show, held in the Student Union, with Earth the sole act on the bill. It was during January 1969, the start of Bruce’s 2nd semester at OCC, that two Springsteen poems (“My Lady” and “untitled”) were published in Seascapes, the school’s Literary Yearbook. Bruce's name was misspelt "Sprengsteen". Click the link above to read the poems.


 * 1969-01-17 - LE TEENDEZVOUS, NEW SHREWSBURY, NJ**

No set details known. One show, with Earth the sole act on the bill. The band performed a 2 hour show consisting of four 30 minute sets with intermissions between sets.


 * 1969-02-00 - LE TEENDEZVOUS, NEW SHREWSBURY, NJ**

No set details known. Springsteen performance, although it is unclear if this was a guest appearance or an advertised gig.


 * 1969-02-14 - I.A.M.A. CLUBHOUSE, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One show, billed as the 'St Valentines Day Massacre', with Earth the sole advertised act. The very rare posters (above) tell the story, this show was originally scheduled for the Paddock Lounge but was shifted to the larger IAMA (Italian American Mens Association) venue in order to accommodate strong ticket demand. Drummer Vini Lopez, looking to start a new band, attended this show to watch Bruce in action, setting in motion a chain of events that would quickly see the formation of new band Child. This was seemingly the last-ever Earth gig.

The Start of the 'Child - Steel Mill' Era


 * 1969-02-22 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

ROCK ME BABY / IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA / HEAVY BERTHA / blues improvisation

No other set details known. An early morning jam session featuring Springsteen with Vinnie Roslin (bass) and Big Bad Bobby Williams (drums) for the first two songs noted above, including Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Vini Lopez replaced Williams and Danny Federici also joined for an extended blues improvisation, which some suggest lasted some forty-five minutes. This would be the beginnings of a new band called Child (whose name would change to Steel Mill in late 1969). This event actually took place in the early hours of Sunday, February 23. The Upstage (click for a brief history of the early Upstage period) had opened for a business a year earlier (February 1968) and was steadily becoming a popular late night hangout for local musicians. Springsteen's first known performance at the famous club - he is known to have made at least thirty appearances before the Upstage closed in October 1971.


 * 1969-02-28 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Springsteen, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin, and Danny Federici again gather for some late night jamming/rehearsals.


 * 1969-03-13 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

The legendary Pandemonium opened for business on February 14, 1969 and 'Jam Sessions’ (i.e. Talent Quests) were held on several Thursday evenings during the first couple of months of the club's operation. An event on this night is noted in the local paper as attracting “a variety of young local musicians”, some seeking an opportunity to receive paid bookings at the new club. It is believed that Springsteen, perhaps with some members of what was about to become (or had just become) Child, may have performed on this night. Whatever the exact details may be, Child would become hot property at the club within a few weeks.


 * 1969-03-00 - CHALLENGER EASTERN SURFBOARDS, WANAMASSA, NJ**

JENNIFER

Complete set details are not known. Child conducts it's first rehearsal at new manager Carl 'Tinker' West’s surfboard factory. Tinker, a legendary surfboard designer/shaper with San Diego based Challenger West Surfboards, had come to the Jersey shore in 1966 to set up a Challenger East business. Tinker (a guitarist and skilled harp player in his own right) had recently set up a concert promotion business called 'Blah Productions'. Tinker was interested in new artists who performed their own songs. It was Vini Lopez who knew Tinker and brought Bruce to meet him, resulting in Tinker agreeing to manage the group. Vini Lopez has mentioned the Springsteen composition “Jennifer” as one of the songs played at this Challenger rehearsal.


 * 1969-04-02 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

PROUD MARY (see notes below)

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).

In his 1993 speech inducting Creedence Clearwater Revival into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame, Springsteen tells of his nights with Child at Pandemonium: //"In 1970 suburban New Jersey was still filled with the kind of sixties spirit Easy Rider made us all so fond of. I'm referring to the scene where Dennis Hopper gets blown off his motorcycle by some red-neck with a shotgun! A weekend outing at the time was still filled with the drama of possibly getting your ass kicked by a total stranger, who disagreed with your fashion sense. Me and my band worked on Route 35 outside of Asbury Park, at a club called the Pandemonium. They'd recently lowered the drinking age to eighteen with the logic that if you were old enough to die you were old enough to drink!//

//And so it was five 50 minute sets a night and rarely a night without a fight. The crowd was eclectic; rough kids just out of high school who hadn't been snatched up by the draft yet; Truck drivers heading home south to the Jersey pines who weren't gonna make it (not that night at least), and a mixture of college and working girls, women with bouffant hair-dos, and a small, but steady hippy contingent. Tough crowd to please all at once! We played behind a U-shaped bar that was just three feet and spitting distance from many of the patrons who came to just drink and stare and hassle the band.//

//Into New Jersey came the music of John and Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook - Creedence Clearwater Revival; and for three minutes and seven seconds of Proud Mary a very strained brotherhood would actually fill the room. It was simply a great song that everybody liked and it literally saved our asses on many occasions."//

Springsteen isn't known to have played Pandemonium in 1970, so it's assumed he's talking about his residencies with Child in April, May, and July of 1969. Which shows he played "Proud Mary" at is unknown.


 * 1969-04-03 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-04-04 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-04-09 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-04-10 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-04-11 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-04-12 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-04-13 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-04-20 - HULLABALOO, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

Set details unknown. One show, with Child the sole act on the bill. The Hullabaloo Club in Asbury Park would soon close down and re-emerge in the same location, under new ownership renamed The Sunshine In. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-05-02 - LE TEENDEZVOUS, NEW SHREWSBURY, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:00pm to 1.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 3 or 4 sets with breaks in between (total onstage time about two hours).


 * 1969-05-05 - WEST END PARK, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One show, a multi-artist outdoor event lasting all day, with Child performing early in the afternoon. Vini Lopez has commented that Child were the second last band to play. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-05-11 - MONMOUTH COLLEGE, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One afternoon outdoor show with a multi-artist lineup, featuring (in the following running order) Track, Brother Duck, Southern Conspiracy and Child plus a closing acoustic performance by several Monmouth folk music students.


 * 1969-05-23 - LE TEENDEZVOUS, NEW SHREWSBURY, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:00pm to 12.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 3 or 4 sets with breaks in between (total onstage time about 2 hours).


 * 1969-05-28 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. Three shows (7.00pm, 10:30pm and 12:30am), double bill, with Child opening for headliner The James Cotton Band. This was the first time Pandemonium hosted a nationally known artist. The early show was reserved for minors (no alcohol). As the undercard Child’s performances were limited to about 45 minutes, although they probably played longer for the first show. An important early gig for Bruce, as the band recieved considerable exposure. See above for the photo of Springsteen and Federici standing in front of the large billboard poster for this show.


 * 1969-05-29 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-05-30 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-05-31 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Child headlining and Nick Addeo opening. The news item (above) is from the May 31st APP and is only generic, but gives a unique glimpse into the club as it really was back then.


 * 1969-06-01 - MONROE PARK, RICHMOND, VA**

VOODOO CHILD / JENNIFER / CROWN LIQUOR

Complete set details are not known, although the three above-mentioned songs are from a fan recollection that's deemed reliable. "Jennifer" is a known Springsteen composition from the period that has yet to circulate on any tape. This is Child's first trip to Richmond (and Bruce's first known appearance in Virginia) and is a free outdoor concert. New Jersey band Brother Duck also make the trip and open the show. Child's performance here has a huge impact and many more trips to Richmond will follow over the next eighteen months. Mercy Flight drummer Davy Hazlett is in the audience. We've been contacted by a reader who recalled a guy sitting on a big water fountain which broke during the show - anyone else recall this? In a 1978 interview, Bruce also mentioned that the band played in North Carolina. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-06-01 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Child headlining and Nick Addeo opening. The double billing allowed Child enough time to drive back from its daytime outdoor gig in Richmond. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-06-07 - BLESSED SACRAMENT REGIONAL SCHOOL, MARGATE CITY, NJ**

No set details known. One show (held in the gym), double bill, with Child headlining and Tracks opening. Apparently, this was a graduation dance concert for 8th graders orchestrated by the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, who ran this small private school located near Atlantic City. The lineup of Tracks included bassist Peter Sweval and drummer Jeff Grob (aka Joe Dube), both of whom would soon form the popular early 70s band Looking Glass and then pioneering late 70s metal outfit Starz. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-06-13 - THE AUCTION COFFEE HOUSE, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One evening show, with Child the sole act on the bill. This small coffeehouse only had a brief existence and closed a few months after these shows. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-06-14 - THE AUCTION COFFEE HOUSE, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One evening show, with Child the sole act on the bill. This small coffeehouse only had a brief existence and closed a few months after these shows. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-07-15 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-07-16 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-07-17 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-07-18 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-07-19 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).


 * 1969-07-20 - PANDEMONIUM, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 2.00am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between (total onstage time about 2½ hours).

This was the night that men first walked on the moon and numerous TV monitors were installed within the Club for the occasion. This created a major distraction during Child’s performance, which upset some of the band members. An ensuing argument over the issue took place between the band and the Club’s manager and this turned out to be the last ever Child gig at this establishment. Pandemonium eventually ceased operation in March 1971. The premises re-emerged under new ownership on May 28, 1971 as 'John Barleycorn', a Top 40 only disco. Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze (in its pre-Clarence Clemons incarnation) headlined at the John Barleycorn grand opening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-08-15 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One evening show with Child the sole act on the bill. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-08-16 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One evening show with Child the sole act on the bill. This 3 day Child residency at the Student Prince coincided with the historic Woodstock Music Festival taking place in upstate New York (August 15th to 17th, and extended to the 18th). The band members wanted to attend Woodstock but were unable to due to these Student Prince gig commitments. However, Child’s manager/sound engineer, Tinker West, did manage to attend the festival. Interestingly Led Zeppelin were unable to perform at Woodstock due in part to a gig commitment at the Asbury Park Convention Hall on this same night.


 * 1969-08-17 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One evening show with Child the sole act on the bill. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-08-23 - CONVENTION HALL, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

A long-rumored Child gig, but in fact the group did not play and were never scheduled to. This was a double bill headlined by ‘Janis Joplin & The Kosmic Blues Band’ (fresh from her appearance at the Woodstock Festival), with the James Cotton Band opening the show. All the members of Child attended the show, along with Tinker West (also just back from Woodstock) they were guests of the James Cotton Band and hung out backstage with everyone after the show, but they did not perform.


 * 1969-08-29 - OCEAN SIDE SURF CLUB, SEA BRIGHT, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 8.00pm, with Child the sole act on the bill. This venue put on both indoor and outdoor shows. Since this was an evening gig it was likely held indoors.


 * 1969-09-01 - FREAK BEACH, EAST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No details known. Labor Day summer holiday weekend. An all day show featuring several local bands on the bill, along with Child. There was also a jam session at the end of the day featuring different members of different bands together. Held on a makeshift stage on the beach in the northern section of 'East' Long Branch that was nicknamed by locals as ‘Freak (Freek) Beach’.


 * 1969-09-19 - THE CENTER, FREE UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA**

No set details known. One show, with Child having sole billing. Held indoors at the University's 'Center' (a venue that would later change its name to 'The String Factory' in May 1970)


 * 1969-09-20 - THE CENTER, FREE UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA**

SISTER THERESA (3:52) / RESURRECTION (8:05) / GARDEN STATE PARKWAY BLUES (end cut, 19:34) / THE WAR IS OVER (11:10) / KT-88 (3:45) / GOIN' DOWN SLOW (15:22)

One show, held indoors at the University’s 'Center', with Child the lone act on the bill.

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating 62-minute indoor audience recording of only fair sound quality. This is currently the earliest known Child/Steel Mill audio in circulation. This audio first surfaced over 27 years ago but quickly became cannibalized in the tape trading pool. In 1977 two of these tracks (“Sister Theresa” and “Resurrection”) appeared on the vinyl boot “Resurrected” without any source information. The remainder of the audio has never been issued on any mainstream LP (or CD) boot and since the early 1980s has tended to circulate with tracks missing. Fortunately it has begun to circulate again in recent years on CDR in its original 62 minute edition. There are discernible edits between tracks and this is not the complete show, which is likely to have lasted about 90 minutes and included two or three additional songs. However it is all the audio from this gig that is known to exist. All songs are complete except for “Garden State Parkway Blues”, which is faded out prematurely and could be missing several minutes. “KT-88”, an instrumental, is introduced by Bruce as a new creation. This is the only circulating performance of “Sister Theresa” and the flute-like sound heard on this track (and others in this show) is a recorder being played by Vini Lopez. Over the years there has been considerable speculation regarding the time and location of this audio. The earliest traded specimens of this audio identified the source as a date unspecified 1969 gig at a Richmond club called 'The String Factory'. Since no verified gig date at The String Factory was found in any early timeline sources, some collectors began assigning the audio to other gig dates. Consequently this audio has been linked to a plethora of shows from 1969 and 1970. It turns out that the early source identification was fairly accurate. This material is indeed from 1969 in Richmond, but it’s from 'The Center', which changed its name to 'The String Factory' in the fall of 1970. This performance is prior to March 1970, as it features Vinnie Roslin on bass and background vocals. Although there were several shows at The Center during the Vinnie Roslin era, the sound of a heavy thunderstorm can be heard outside the building during “Garden State Parkway Blues” this allows the candidate gigs from the winter months to be eliminated. Note: this audio may be from the previous evening’s performance on September 19. Recording info: One, Two, Three. Audience tape (a.o. Flynn). Various versions circulate, including 'A Night Worth Spending In Richmond'.


 * 1969-10-15 - MONMOUTH COLLEGE, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. Child performs as part of Monmouth College's 1st National Vietnam Moratorium Protest Day Program.


 * 1969-11-01 - VCU GYM, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, held in the Virginia Commonwealth University's Gym, with Child headlining and Richmond band Rain opening. Following this show the band returned to New Jersey only to learn that another progressive rock band from Long Island, NY was not only using the name 'Child', they’d also just released an album under that name on the Roulette Records label. Consequently, this November 1st gig is believed to have been the last gig performed prior to the band’s decision to change its name from Child to 'Steel Mill' (a name suggested by a friend of Vini Lopez). For the remainder of November and December, the group’s promotional material tended to incorporate both names in order to minimize confusion.


 * 1969-11-14 - MONMOUTH COLLEGE, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One show, held outside the Student Union Building starting at 11.00am, with Child/Steel Mill performing a brief set. There were several folk singers that also performed short sets. This morning event was the start of Monmouth College’s day long Vietnam Peace Offensive, a prelude to the 2nd major National Moratorium demonstration held in Washington, DC the following day. At midnight rented buses were waiting to transport people down to Washington. It is believed that some (or all) members of Child/Steel Mill travelled in the buses to Washington. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-11-20 - THE CENTER, FREE UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA**

RESURRECTION / THE WAR IS OVER / RUN, SHAKER LIFE / SWEET MELINDA / YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

No other set details known. One show, with Steel Mill headlining and Mercy Flight opening for them for the first time (as substitutes for the billed Morning Disaster, who cancelled). Held indoors at the University's 'Center'. The partial setlist above is thanks to the recollections of attendees. Truxton Fulton sent his recollections: "I remember playing the Free U in the fall of 69, my freshman year at VCU. The name of my group was The American Band. Steel Mill was there. Morning Disaster may have been there too. I think we were a late addition and didn't make the poster. I played keyboard and bass piano (a la The Doors) This was the American Band's first gig and to the best I can remember, it's only gig. The other guys were from my hometown of Danville but after living in Richmond a while I pretty much got integrated with the the local musician set there. The guy running the Free U was a friendly guy named Russ Clem. I was very happy to use Steel Mill's Hammond B3 and I remember being very impressed with that keyboard guy -kind of on the chubby side, played great. They did a lot of songs I wasn't familiar with at the time: "The war is over", "Go down Moses, Go down David..." [Run, Shaker Life], "Sweet Melinda", they did a version of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" which I hadn't heard at the time. They had just changed their name and Bruce explained that the name change was needless because the other Child had broken up. One thing that really impressed me was that when another band played, Bruce would be right off stage, really digging the other band's music. I thought that was very cool; they were, after all, the regional stars at the time. -and they sounded great; They had quite a following there in Richmond." It is unknown if Richie Haven's "Run, Shaker Life" is a single song or part of a medley, as at the Virginia Commonwealth University in May 1970. The set also includes the only known performance of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want".


 * 1969-11-21 - CRENSHAW GYMNASIUM, RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE, ASHLAND, VA**

No set details known. One show, triple billing, held in the school's 3,500 seat Crenshaw Gymnasium. Child/Steel Mill (who were paid $650) have second billing to headliner, Chicago Transit Authority (who were paid $3,000). Richmond band Natural Wildlife open the show. This concert had an unusual 'alternating sets' structure. Chicago performed two 45 minute sets and Child/Steel Mill played about 45 minutes after each of Chicago's sets. Very strange indeed. The concert was not a sellout. Press surrounding this show used the name Child, not Steel Mill, although posters may have been adjusted to accommodate the new band name. A contributor to an article on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website writes: "As a senior at Randolph-Macon College in 1970, I couldn't believe my good fortune that both Chicago and Iron Butterfly were to play our tiny college gym on the same weekend. Little did I know that Bruce Springsteen would also play on that weekend. I can't remember which of the superstar groups Steel Mill opened for, but I do recall that most of the post-weekend buzz was over the phenomenal performance of the leader of this virtually unknown group and not the heavy hitters who headlined." include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-11-22 - CRENSHAW GYMNASIUM, RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE, ASHLAND, VA**

No set details known. One show, triple billing, held in the school's 3,500 seat Crenshaw Gymnasium. This concert (the second in two nights) was part of a major sporting and cultural activities weekend at Randolph-Macon. Child/Steel Mill (who were paid $650) have second billing to headliner Iron Butterfly (who were paid a whopping $7,500 - that's substantial for this time period). Richmond band Natural Wildlife open the show. Unlike the previous night this concert had a traditional performing structure. Child/Steel Mill played about 60 to 70 minutes. The concert was not a sellout and lost money. One online blogger who attended this show has commented of Iron Butterfly that "Their performance was sloppy. They did a long version of their big song, but they were sleepwalking. I got the feeling that they were intimidated by Child's earlier performance".

Press surrounding this show used the name Child, not Steel Mill, although posters and handbills may have been adjusted to accommodate the name change.


 * 1969-12-12 - MC GYM, MONMOUTH COLLEGE, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 8:30pm, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and Southern Conspiracy opening. The extremely rare gig specific custom poster (above) mentions “Steel Mill is Child under an assumed name”, an indication of the short-term confusion caused by the band’s forced name change. The show was put on by the Student Moratorium Committee and was an attempt to cover the costs of the anti-war events in October and November.


 * 1969-12-20 - CHALLENGER EASTERN SURFBOARDS, WANAMASSA, NJ**

No set details known. One show, with Steel Mill the sole act on the bill, a farewell gig prior to the band leaving on its much-anticipated trip to the west coast. Bassist Vinnie Roslin, in a Backstreets Magazine interview, has commented: "we had one last gig at Tinker's surfboard factory to raise enough money for the trip to California". The exact date of this show is unconfirmed. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1969-12-31 - ESALEN INSTITUTE, BIG SUR, CA**

No set details known. One show, held outdoors at the Esalen Institute, a kind of hippy commune in the mountains of the Pacific coast. Bruce's first ever appearance in California. According to individual comments made by Springsteen, Lopez and Roslin this 'concert' was a New Year's Eve party that had been planned before the band arrived at Esalen. Sitting in with the band for their West Coast gigs was Richard Blackwell, a Freehold native that Springsteen had grown up with, and had found by chance staying at the Institute. The band hung around Big Sur for about a week (staying in a log cabin) before heading up to the San Francisco area. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"

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